It’s not hard to make an argument for the benefits of small, private colleges—small classes, more personal attention, professors hired to teach rather than to do research, etc. But in his excellent book, Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents, Zac Bissonnette makes some pretty good arguments for choosing a large, far cheaper public university. And here’s one I’d never considered before:
At large universities, students learn to navigate the bureaucracy, make valuable connections with people who might not seem readily accessible, and research and investigate to find the resources that will help them pursue their career goals. In elementary school, having friendly people guiding you by the hand is important, but in college it can be a detriment because it’s so out of line with the way the real postcollege world works. If college is about developing skills that will serve students well later in life, I would argue that large universities offer a better chance to do that."
Ibid, page 191
Niraj Pokhrel says
Believe me, I am from a very poor country and the “benefit” that author mentions is really not a benefit but ‘beggars can’t be choosers thing’…
You can’t say that having no food to eat has benefits of prevention from food poisoning…